Skip to main content

IRIS: Campus Hub for Sustainability Research

Published by

Published September 18, 2009

by iris_author

hub

Over the last few years, York University Graduate Assistants have been doing research on campus sustainability, as part of the Campus Sustainability Blueprint Project – which aims to create a plan for sustainability at York University. The result is now available in our "IRIS: Campus Hub for Sustainability Research" report, which is in essence, a progress report on the Blueprint project. The report moves the conversation about how to translate the “blueprint” into real world action forward, with examples from IRIS’ work. The report also describes the unique role that IRIS plays in providing an interdisciplinary space to house an on-going dialogue on sustainability, while presenting a framework that can be used to guide York University as it moves forward with its commitments to campus sustainability.

Posted in: IRIS News

World Climate Conference

Published by

Published August 31, 2009

by iris_author

This week, the World Meteorological Organization is assembling over 2500 experts from 15o countries in Geneva to examine long-range forecasting amidst climate change. This will be particularly important for the world's poor farmers who can increasingly no longer depend on traditional weather patterns. One of the proposed plans will use the ubiquitous global mobile network  in many countries to share weather-related information. For better or worse, cell phone coverage is increasingly eclipsing every other utility in terms of territorial availability and penetration.

Check this IPS article for more contextual information on this important gathering.

Posted in: Blogs | Turning Up the Heat

North by Northwest

Published by

Published August 30, 2009

by iris_author

Saoyú-?ehdacho, two peninsulas on Great Bear Lake

Saoyú-?ehdacho, two peninsulas on Great Bear Lake

It's been a year since I last posted to the IRIS blog, my many apologies. However, this past year has also been extremely productive in terms of my research-oriented work in the Northwest Territories.

From September to May, I worked as a coordinator at the Northwest Territories Protected Areas Strategy Secretariat. Seen by many as a groundbreaking process that is slowly and methodically laying the basis for a system of protected areas in the Mackenzie River Valley region, the ten-year-old NWTPAS witnessed the establishment of its first protected area -- Saoyú-?ehdacho -- this past summer. Oddly enough, but not surprising, my work centered around the communications end of things, as I rebuilt the entire website, while shuffling along various documents and publications through the bureaucratic maze that is the territorial, federal, and aboriginal local governments. While the former was sometimes frustrating but ultimately satisfying in its final execution, the latter gave me a glimpse into the mechanisms of governance that exist in the NWT. Regardless, I had a great time working with the folks of Wildlife Division and Environmental and Natural Resources, GNWT.

At the same time, I also worked part-time for the Arctic Health Research Network, now the Institute for Circumpolar Health Research who I joined as a full-time senior staff in May. Indeed, it seems fated that with over 15 years of similar positions (Including IRIS!), information technology serving university-level research will always be part of my life and work sphere. As such, ICHR will probably become my base where I will have the chance to lead research initiatives in the NWT and possibly even the greater circumpolar world.Very exciting!

Anyways, I do invite York researchers to think about the NWT when they plot out their research projects. Drop me a line!

Posted in: Blogs

Waterlution workshop: September 11-13, 2009

Published by

Published August 18, 2009

by iris_author

Down to the Waterfront: A Workshop on Re-imaging and Revitalizing Toronto's Harbour

In partnership with a number of dedicated organizations, Waterlution will be hosting a "residential workshop" (as part of The Future of Water Series 2009) for young professionals that will explore past, current and future waterfront management issues within the Greater Toronto Area.

Participants will examine the process of enhancing waterfront vitality amd learn how various groups are striving to address a wide range of issues including

  • harbourfront revitalization
  • beach management
  • water quality
  • recreation and tourism
  • restoration of natural areas and fish habitat
  • ...and more!

The workshop will be held in downtown Toronto with field tours along the waterfront. Waterlution is accepting up to 20 applicants between the ages of 20-35, and is looking for participants representing diverse backgrounds (e.g. government, private sector, Aboriginal communities, academic, NGOs, etc). Following the workshop, participants will join a network of over 400 members across Canada.

For more information and application details, view/download the full invitation.

Posted in: Events

“Whatever happened to the paperless office, anyway?”

Published by

Published August 12, 2009

by iris_author

I was browsing through topics on sustainability on The Global and Mail website and I came across an article describing something with which we have a love/hate relationship: paper.

It passes through our hands at least a dozen times each day, often simultaneously giving us headaches (not to mention paper cuts!). It has the power to give us pain or pleasure (or both). It bridges the gap between hands and minds. We have designed elaborate systems and products for organizing, storing and presenting it. These facts ring particularly true in the office, where paper has virtually become a defining component.

This really makes you wonder: is it a tool in our service, or are we the ones being enslaved?

This article discusses growing initiatives in companies to reduce paper usage (and ultimately, disposal) for environmental, as well as financial reasons. Ironically, despite the rise of technology and the sparkling visions of digital texts, Statistics Canada has found in 2006 "that Canadians' paper consumption 'more than doubled between 1983 and 2003' and that 'the production and use of paper products is at an all-time high'" (Silverman 2009). These statistics, however, need not overshadow the reality of tactics and technologies that are being developed and applied to ease our obsession. In addition to the option of electronic pay statements, companies can now provide Web-based time-sheets (offered by Nexonia, a Toronto company), snail mail by email (Earth Class Mail, in the United States), and a digital archive of a company's paper receipts (Shoeboxed). Here, we must insert another "however"; our generation still clings tightly to these artifacts of our culture. Only 35 per cent of employees at Indigo have subscribed to electronic pay statements. The University of Calgary is still towered by the 20,000-feet stack of paper it produces per year. As much as I cringe at the sight of new pages spilling forth to correct a single word, I cannot yet imagine a world without our fine printed friend. I don't believe there is a need to. Like other issues in sustainability, the first step should be awareness, followed by reduction and moderation. In this vein, the article closes with a more realistic perspective on the situation, proposing the more reasonable goal of shifting to the 'less paper' - rather than 'no paper' - office.

By the way, I found it very interesting, almost touching, to see the dedication of a Xerox executive (François Ragnet) to the future and sustainability of his company's product. His blog, titled The Future of Documents, can be found here.

Posted in: Blogs

IPY GAPS Initiative Enters Third Year

Published by

Published July 31, 2009

by iris_author

Dawn and Milissa Elliott in Fort Simpson, NT

Dawn and Milissa Elliott in Fort Simpson, NT

The IPY GAPS Initiative is proceeding into its third year with our researchers presenting their findings in various fora.

GAPS is a multi-national, multi-disciplinary initiative that aims to examine the scope and range of human security in the Arctic. GAPS specifically focuses on the impacts of oil and gas activity on climate change and on Arctic peoples, in order to identify and document threats and coping strategies from multiple security perspectives (in both Arctic communities and among Arctic researchers). GAPS aims to deliver this knowledge in cooperation with Arctic communities, to other Arctic communities, and to the human security policy and academic communities.

This past summer, Gunhild Hoogensen, principal investigator and head of the Norwegian team gave a keynote presentation to the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health in Yellowknife, NT. Affiliated student researchers Julia Christensen and Alana Kronstal also presented their GAPS research at the congress while GAPS and IRIS web coordinator Rajiv Rawat served on the organizing committee and secretariat. An audio podcast of Gunhild's speech is available here.

In November, Gabrielle Slowey will be heading up a panel discussion around Oil and Development at the Northern Governance Policy Research Conference, also in Yellowknife. Julia and Alana will also present, along with Yellowknife-based GAPS researcher Jessica Simpson. Rajiv is also part of the secretariat for this conference through his continuing work with the Institute for Circumpolar Health Research in Yellowknife.

For further information, please visit the IPY-GAPS Initiative website.

Posted in: Blogs

Y-File: York researchers find that for Ontario, it’s not easy being green

Published by

Published July 15, 2009

by iris_author

The following appeared in the Thursday, July 9, 2009 edition of Y-File:

A study released yesterday by York University researchers finds that despite its recently adopted Green Energy & Green Economy Act, Ontario is falling behind other leading jurisdictions in Canada and the US in its policies for energy efficiency.

"Ontario has set significant energy conservation targets for its electricity system, but unlike jurisdictions such as California and more recently British Columbia, it has failed to establish the framework of underlying policies needed to achieve these goals,” says study lead author Mark Winfield (left), a professor in York's Faculty of Environmental Studies.

"In light of the Ontario government's recent decision to defer procurement of nuclear reactors, it has become especially important to put the right policies in place to realize the full potential for energy efficiency, and reduce future demand for electricity and costs for consumers," he says.

The study, "Applying the Total Resource Cost Test to Conservation and Demand Management Initiatives of Local Electricity Distribution Companies in Ontario: Assessment and Recommendations for Reform", focuses on the methods by which the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) and Ontario Power Authority (OPA) evaluate and approve funding for energy conservation initiatives proposed by local electricity distribution utilities.

It recommends a number of specific changes to the practices of both organizations to encourage innovation on the part of electricity distribution utilities, particularly the achievement of permanent and long-term reductions in electricity demand.

Regulators in California and New York, for example, must take into account avoided externalities - additional benefits of conservation programs - such as reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, when evaluating program cost-effectiveness. No such requirement exists in Ontario, Winfield says.

"In evaluating the total cost of a program, you need to take into account the avoided environmental costs and risks. You also want to consider a program’s social impact. You can’t calculate the cost-effectiveness of a program unless you have a picture of its potential value," he says. The study points to BC, which recently introduced mechanisms to account for the social benefits of initiatives targeted at low-income households.

Winfield notes that barriers to progress on electricity conservation extend beyond the tools employed to evaluate proposed conservation initiatives. The study finds the province's institutional structures and funding arrangements for energy conservation "fragmented and confusing", and that the new Green Energy & Green Economy Act has the potential, depending on how it is implemented, to compound these problems.

Researchers interviewed staff at local electricity development companies involved in program design and delivery, as well as key industry informants. They found that the current policy framework lacks flexibility for companies to tailor programs to their specific needs. It also lacks measures to evaluate programs with long-term goals, such as education and awareness initiatives, making funding difficult to achieve.

Experts project that 80 per cent of the province's generating assets will need to be replaced as they reach the ends of their operational lives over the next 20 years.

"It's clear that Ontario needs a more complete and integrated policy structure for energy conservation to achieve a sustainable electricity system," Winfield says.

The study issues the following recommendations:

  • Providing clear direction to the OPA and the OEB that all cost-effective and achievable conservation and demand opportunities be pursued before consideration of additional supply options in electricity system planning.
  • Rationalizing, consolidating and stabilizing the funding regime for conservation and demand initiatives.
  • Strengthening and clarifying institutional arrangements for the planning and delivery of conservation and demand measures in Ontario, including the establishment of an office of energy efficiency within the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure to lead and coordinate the province’s efforts.
  • Providing clear policy direction to the OEB and OPA with respect to the evaluation of proposed initiatives, including consideration of the avoided environmental costs and risks and potential social benefits associated with such initiatives.
  • Promoting program innovation by providing greater flexibility to local electricity distribution companies in the initial years of new, self-designed program delivery, and applying alternative evaluative frameworks to programs aimed at achieving long-term behavioural changes (e.g. education and awareness programs) that are necessary for constituency and capacity building, but which may not initially perform well under the Total Resource Cost Test framework.

The study is co-authored by Tatiana Koveshnikova, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University and an Associate Fellow with York's Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability. It is funded through a research grant from the Electricity Distributors Association Local Distribution Centre Futures Fund.

A copy of the study is available on the Faculty of Environmental Studies's Web site. Click here to obtain a PDF of the study.

Posted in: IRIS News

New international green building course at York

Published by

Published July 7, 2009

by iris_author

Students from across Canada and around the world are enrolled in the course. From left, students from Monterrey Institute of Technology, Mexico; Jadavpur University, India; University of São Paulo, Brazil; National University of Costa Rica; Waseda University, Japan; Waterloo University; and York University

Students from across Canada and around the world are enrolled in the course. From left, students from Monterrey Institute of Technology, Mexico; Jadavpur University, India; University of São Paulo, Brazil; National University of Costa Rica; Waseda University, Japan; Waterloo University; and York University

The following appeared in the Monday, July 6, 2009 edition of Y-File:

York University has launched an international summer course in green building design in cooperation with the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC). The official launch was held at the Earth Rangers Centre at the Toronto & Region Conservation Authority’s (TRCA) Living City Campus, at the Kortright Centre for Conservation in Woodbridge on Monday, June 22.

Design for Sustainability in the Built Environment: Interactive Workshop, is a three-week pilot course, running from June 22 to July 10. Third- and fourth-year undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines from Canada and around the world are enrolled in the course, which features an international and interdisciplinary approach and reflects a growing understanding that environmental problems are complex and require thinking that transcends all political borders.

The course is part of York's Faculty of Environmental Studies and was created in conjunction with the Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS) and York International. The WorldGBC is a union of national green building councils aiming to accelerate the transformation from traditional, inefficient building practices to new generation high-performance buildings. “By bringing together the next generation of green leaders from a variety of disciplines and from around the world, we are working to create a new language for green design; one that is open, inclusive and global in scope,” said Andrew Bowerbank, executive director of WorldGBC.

York University in conjunction with the World Green Building Council launched the new course in summer 2009

York University in conjunction with the World Green Building Council launched the new course in summer 2009

The green building design course was made possible thanks to financial support of $101,000 from the Ontario Power Authority’s Conservation Fund. “We are delighted to support this course in green building design, helping to provide a new generation with the skills to lead Ontario to a greener, more energy-efficient future,” said Bryan Young, manager of Conservation & Technology Development Funds at the Ontario Power Authority (OPA). Since 2005, the OPA’s Conservation Fund has provided more than $10 million in funding to more than 70 innovative electricity conservation initiatives, acting as test cases for more broadly based conservation programs and building market capability for the uptake of conservation programs in Ontario.

The Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation, Earth Rangers, PowerStream, TRCA and the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities have also generously supported the course.

The green design building course has attracted worldwide interest with students registered from Japan, India, Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica, as well as from the Greater Toronto Area. Students participating in the course represent a diverse array of interests, which include visual arts, mechanical engineering, biology, design, architecture and environmental studies.

Some of the program's classes will be held at the Earth Rangers Centre, a facility that has earned the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, which indicates its exceptional green building design.

Students in the intensive three-week workshop are exploring themes related to sustainable building design including: the historical and cultural perspective, the business and policy case, green building rating systems, the ecology of green building and next generation opportunities for creating regenerative buildings. “We’re not training architects,” explained course director Arlene Gould. “We want to inspire new leaders that will be aware of the wide range of issues involved, so they can go out into the world and be champions for green buildings.”

The course will culminate in a “charrette”, which Gould describes as a concentrated brainstorming session in which all the stakeholders in a design project come together to work out their issues. The focus in this case will be the design of a new building for York’s Las Nubes Centre for Neotropical Conservation and Research in Costa Rica.

Creation of this green design course falls within York University’s priority to invest in pioneering programs and research – known as Innovate50 – and is supported by York to the Power of 50, York’s 50th anniversary fundraising campaign. York to the Power of 50 is now more than $185 million toward its $200-million goal.

More about the World Green Building Council

The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) is a union of national councils whose mission is to accelerate the transformation of the global built environment towards sustainability. Current member Green Building Councils (GBCs) represent over 50 per cent of global construction activity, and touch more than 10,000 companies and organizations worldwide. GBCs are consensus-based, not-for-profit organizations that are highly effective at engaging leaders across sectors to transform the built environment. For more information, visit the WorldGBC Web site.

Posted in: IRIS News

Y-File: Osgoode Law School receives stellar marks in Corporate Knights survey

Published by

Published July 2, 2009

by iris_author

The following appeared in the Friday, June 26, 2009 edition of Y-File:

Osgoode Hall Law School has been ranked second out of 21 law schools in Corporate Knights magazine’s 2009 Knight Schools Survey – up two spots since last year’s ranking.

The ranking, which appears in the Best 50/Education issue of Corporate Knights, was distributed nationally in The Globe and Mail newspaper on June 22.

The sixth annual Knight Schools ranking analyzed how Canadian law programs fare in integrating sustainability into the school experience. It used a broad definition of sustainability that encompassed environmental and social concerns such as issues of social justice, human rights, professional ethics, cultural diversity, climate change and conservation.

The survey, modelled after the US-based Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey, scored the programs in the areas of institutional support, student initiatives and course work.

The top 10 highest-scoring law programs were:

1. University of Toronto: 91 per cent
2. York University - Osgoode Hall Law School: 81 per cent
3. University of Ottawa - Common Law: 79.67 per cent
4. Dalhousie University: 78.75 per cent
5. University of Victoria: 75.5 per cent
6. McGill University: 73.42 per cent
7. University of British Columbia: 71.67 per cent
8. Université du Quebec à Montréal: 67.75 per cent
9. University of Windsor: 63.42 per cent
10: University of Alberta: 56.17 per cent

Also in the education issue, Osgoode's Ethical Lawyering in a Global Community course was identified as one of the best sustainability-related courses.

As well, in an accompanying article titled “Legal Eco-Beagles” about exciting sustainability-related work that is being done, Osgoode Professor Aaron Dhir was singled out for his involvement in developing a legal framework with United Nations Special Envoy John Ruggie to ensure respect of human rights by transnational corporations. Osgoode Professor Dayna Scott was recognized for her work with Health Canada’s Women & Water in Canada project and Osgoode Professor Stepan Wood was acknowledged for his role on the Advisory Committee on Social Responsibility at the Standards Council of Canada.

"The law school is very proud of the exciting inroads we are making in incorporating the idea of sustainability in our programs," said Osgoode Dean Patrick Monahan. "We are a socially engaged law school that aspires to make a difference in the world and you can see that reflected in what we do."

To see the result of the national survey, visit the Corporate Knights magazine Web site and click on "Reports".

Posted in: IRIS News

css.php